Netscape Navigator, the world's first commercial Web browser and the launch pad of the Internet boom, will be pulled off life support Feb. 1 after a 13-year run.

Its current caretakers, Time Warner Inc.'s AOL, decided to kill further development and technical support to focus on growing the company as an advertising business. Netscape's usage dwindled with Microsoft Corp.'s entry into the browser business, and Netscape all but faded away following the birth of its open-source cousin, Firefox.

"While internal groups within AOL have invested a great deal of time and energy in attempting to revive Netscape Navigator, these efforts have not been successful in gaining market share from Microsoft's Internet Explorer," Netscape Director Tom Drapeau wrote in a blog entry Friday.

In recent years, Netscape has been little more than a repackaged version of the more popular Firefox, which commands about 10 percent of the Web browser market, with almost all of the rest going to Internet Explorer.

People will still be able to download and use the Netscape browser indefinitely, but AOL will stop releasing security and other updates on Feb. 1. Drapeau recommended that the small pool of Netscape users download Firefox instead.

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News source: The Columbian

Not really surprised. RIP Netscape.

Ditto Singh400.

Good Riddance.

Well, the Netscape browser died many years ago. All they have been releasing these past few years has been a different interface for Firefox.

Netscape's problem was that they just couldn't keep up with Microsoft. Forget the fact that Internet Explorer was bundled with Windows. By around version 3 or 4, IE was simply a better browser. Netscape tried to catch up with the Gecko engine, but I believe that starting up the Mozilla project just messed them up even more. That gave Netscape the appearance of an old browser, and Mozilla the appearance of a new, but unfinished browser... Forget all that mess, IE worked nice.

But heh, I remember back around 1994 running the original Netscape on my 386 computer Windows 3.1, and dialing up to the Internet using Trumpet Winsock and a 14.4k modem... Yup, those were the good ol' days. Really though, I remember back then there was just an exciting feel about typing in a web address and seeing the page start to open. It was much better than the BBS's.

Does anyone else here remember BBS's? I first started connecting to them with a DOS program and a 2400-baud modem.

Afraid I can't agree with you there. The first browser I used was Netscape. And I liked it alot. Obviously the latter incarnations were crap, but the older versions rocked. :thumbsup:

They rocked up until version 4.74. Then, it done nothing but sink like a rock!!

R.I.P. you fine POS!!

I'm split on this one. Netscape actually "Died" a few years back, and at that point it was RIP to a fierce competitor. However...

The lat few years AOL tried to use it as a pawn in their screw IE/piss on Microsoft game. Their use of it in a Weekend at Bernie's fashion was a sham, and a slap in the face to the crew who wrote it as a proper browser. So in that regard I say Good Riddance - To a bad and tasteless joke.

lol

Nice screenshot Scott.

eh, I can do better:

Click to view attachment

There's a relic! LOL

Yowsers, relice indeed Scott and touché Chug, touché.

I'm mildly surprised they considered this even worth announcing as Netscape has been dead a while. The husk they're using now is not Netscape. Like most everyone else, I considered Netscape dead years ago.